what the?!

I was just browsing job postings on Charityvillage.com when I came upon one that was posted by a Wanda Sykes who supposedly works with sunnybrook hospital. hm I wonder if it's legit and not some sort of practical joke :) but really I find that hard to believe, considering the unusualness of the name in question...

ookaaay, I will stop procrastinating and update this thing!

I got back from Jo'burg about three weeks ago - I wished I stayed there longer but after coming back to here it was like I never left Toronto to begin with.

I loved being in johannesburg. were it not for the ridiculously high crime rate, I could see myself living there on a more long term basis. The country is beautiful - absolutely gorgeous. I had so much fun and met some interesting folks. There were times when I just wanted to get the heck out of there but overall I had an amazing experience that I will cherish for many years.

Maybe I'll go back one day as a tourist and do the things I didn't end up doing - like visiting Victoria Falls in zimbabwe? We'll see!

Anyway, I recently started the harrowing job search process and I gotta say it's tough out there! I did get one interview which was exciting but unfortunately I didn't make it to the end.

I will probably have to broaden my search outside of Toronto or even Canada if I want to get employed before my hair turns grey...it would be cool to get a job in another country!

People are saying that joburg skipped summer this year because it's been unusually cool. I think winter usually starts around May but I guess it's come earlier this year? fine by me! there were only a handful of unbearably hot days...the rest cool and breezy and rainy. that's my ideal weather so I have no complaints weather-wise about joburg.

security-wise though the situation is still a bit unsettling, thankfully I'm not as pananoid as before so I'm enjoying it here again. I used to hate the nights but the fear is not as intense as before. I relapse sometimes and start checking out the windows every few hours to see if there's anything suspicious out there.

I'm being irrational I know, considering that a bathroom light started all of this. I just have to keep reminding myself of that!

anyway, it hailed today - they were the size of skittles. luckily I missed the hail by mere minutes! I got inside just in time. I wonder though what it's like to be caught in hail.

something to add to my existing list of nicknames - Dr. Phil :)

I always thought I gave too much advice, now I know I do...thanks Tebello!

Four jobs I've had:
1. Pizza maker
2. Summer Employment Officer
3. Communications Assistant
4. IT Trainer

Four movies I can watch (and have watched) over and over:
1. A Bronx Tale
2. Matilda
3. George of the Jungle
4. Aladdin

Four places I've lived:
1. Gabiley, Somalia
2. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
3. Ottawa, Canada
4. Johannesburg, South Africa

Four TV Shows I love:
1. Law and Order, SVU
2. Backstage
3. Pilot Guides
4. Passionate Eye

Four places I've vacationed:
1. Veradero, Cuba
2. Niagara Falls, Canada
3. Cardiff, UK
4. Grand Rapids, US

(I don't recommend the last two places as worthwhile 'vacation' spots)

Four sites I visit daily:
1. Yahoo
2. CharityVillage (job hunting)
3. canada.com
4. acdi-cida.gc.ca

man I had a good day. I originally planned to take it easy and run some errands (grocery shopping, laundry etc.) like I do most saturdays but somehow I got suckered into coming into work early to meet the ngo's board of directors during thier meeting.

I didn't stay long so instead of running back home I went downtown into the guts of joburg and walked around for a few hours. it was insane, 'bustling' doesn't even begin to describe the atmosphere! I loved it. It was the first time I went there without a vehicle...

Anyway, I took a detour to Museum Africa and Oriental Plaza which was pretty great. Unfortunatly I didn't bring much money so I couldn't buy any of the neat things I saw. But I'll go back next weekend, oh yes, I'll go back with a shitload of cash and finally get around to buying the gifts I was ordered to buy for friends and family...mostly family though; friends were coy about asking for things but my family outright threatend bodily harm if I didn't get them stuff.

yeah so today was a good day, even the minibus driver yelling at me didn't dampen my spirits. (note for anyone coming to S.A.: don't tap the driver on the shoulder when you want to get off... they're pretty sensitive about that)

hm, less than a month left here. amazing how time flies. I miss Toronto though, I'm keen on going back.

Last Sunday night was no doubt the worst night of my life.

It was about 9 pm and I was in my room reading when I heard a glass shattering. I thought that Liz, my housemate, dropped something so I thought nothing of it. A few seconds later Liz calls my name out sounding really panicked. I opened my door and there she stood looking stressed with two kitchen knives in her hand.

I'm thinking wtf is going on! She gave me a knife and said that she heard a window breaking in the front part of the house...man I was practically shitting in my pants at this point.

Knives in hand, we walked around from room to room inspecting the windows and found that nothing was broken; we concluded that a neighbour's house is being burglarized. Which was strange because this is a relatively safe neighbourhood. Anyhoo, after about ten minutes of insanity I headed back to my room and locked myself in hoping to fall asleep asap and get away from the unpleasantness.

WELL! That's when things got really bad.

I got woken again by Liz but this time it was the sound of her car heading out of the gate! She was going to her boyfriend's house, which she does once or twice a week. I was FLABBERGASTED. I was thinking what the hell is wrong with this girl, leaving me in the house all alone when she knows I'm not used to the crazy shit that goes on around here. ('here' being South Africa, and 'crazy shit' being the routine break-ins and rapes.)

I barely slept the whole night, I was praying all night and reciting over and over all the verses I had memorized from the Quran. I left my room every hour or so to see if there was anybody lurking around outside. I think I slept at about 4 am after shedding a tear or two.

Anyway, long story short, I found out the next day after coming back from work that the loud 'window breaking' noise was actually a light fixture in Liz' bathroom falling and shattering. The really fucked up part - she discovered this fact shortly after I went back to my room and didn't bother to alert me so that I can stop freaking out.

Honestly that was the worst night of my life - all because of an absentminded housemate and her defective bathroom light.

hello again

Time is flying, I can't believe I've been here for two months. I haven't been up to much, just working my little heart out. I'm not as worried as before about trying to travel as much as I can. I came to realize that for me just living in a new place and developing a routine there can be more exciting that doing the whole tourist thing. It's great when a strange place starts to become familiar.

On the other hand though, I would like to do a touristy thing or two before I leave. I'm leaving my internship on the 14th of April but I'll be in Joburg until the 26th. During that break my goal is to visit Durban and maybe (that's a big maybe!) Zimbabwe.

The internship is still going well. I enjoy coming into the office very much. The atmosphere is not tense and oppressive and the people at HURISA are very easygoing and pleasant people. They seem genuinely interested in my development and have been providing a very supportive working and learning environment. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I consider myself very lucky to be here! I feel like I'm getting the most out of the opportunity in learning as much as I can and also passing on what I've learned to others through the training. When the time comes for me to leave, it's going to be hard!

I honestly don't know what I'll do when I get back to Canada. Should I go back to school or get a job? Neither option appeals to me at the moment. I'm applying to jobs while I'm here but nothing fruitful yet.

Moving on. I braided my hair with extensions in late January and I recently took them out. It feels so good to be free from all that mess of hair. I lost a lot of it in the process of taking the extensions out though. So my once thick and unruly hair has been reduced to thin and wiry fluff : I'm just letting you guys know so you won't freak out if I come back to T.O. with half a head of hair :)

What else to say? I'm working on taking pictures and uploading them, I'll let you know when I do!

Greetings :)

Just to update, Johannesburg is great. Unfortunately, because of work I don't have a lot of time to fully enjoy what the city/country has to offer. Forget doing anything on the weekdays, I come home at 6 and have no energy whatsoever. On the odd night I might go for dinner with friends but those times are few and far between. On the weekends though I've been trying to go out and explore as much as possible...I've been to several important landmarks but not as much as I would've liked to by now.

I live in a flat in the Westdene/Melville area. The neighbourhood is very pretty, very lush and green. It took a while to get used to the giant gates, barbed wire and electric fences though. Unfortunately security is a big issue here. I don't know yet if it's warranted or if it's just paranoia but hopefully I don't find out. I actually have to open and lock three doors every time I leave/enter the house which is a huge deal in itself because I didn't even close our doors in Scarborough, let alone lock them.

Moving on...the weather's great! Just my kind of weather, cold, grey and raining! I really enjoy this type of weather. Everyone around here is moaning and groaning about the lack of sunlight but I love every minute of it :)

The internship is amazing, I'm learning so much. For now, I'm mainly working on IT related projects like web-development and computer training but I think I'll try to branch out a little to try and get the most out of my time here. The organization is called the Human Rights Institute of South Africa. It's a very small NGO but they do great work in human rights training.

Anyway, that's all for now, hopefully I'll have the chance to update this thing more often!

Cuba was awesome, I almost killed Natasha and myself on the jet ski but aside from that, a good time was had by both of us. I loved canoeing and biking/walking through town. Strangely though I didn't enjoy the beach that much - too much bare skin for my liking! and the damn sand was just all over me 24/7.

oh and who knew that I (as a 'black' person) could get a sunburn? before we left my face was a little sensitive and the night after coming home my skin started peeling : first time for everything I guess.

hope I get the chance to come back to Cuba! Now on to packing for South Africa, I'm so excited (an a wee bit nervous) but hopefully everything will work out for the best!

wow, I'm surprised I'm still using blogger! it's been exactly two years since I started doing this and I'm still at it. crazy!

just for fun I've been browsing my past entries...this one resonated with me for a lot of reasons. If you told me then that in 2005 I'll not only graduate but will also..

- go back to the city (and exact house) where I was born,
- visit England,
- be getting ready to go to Cuba and most important of all,
- find an internship in Johannesburg

...I would've laughed in your face...I would've thought you were the biggest crackpot on this earth! it's amazing how things turn out.

I wonder where I'll be next year?? I'm giddy just thinking of the possibilities! what's that saying, 'the world is your oyster'...yeah that's exactly what it feels like right now.

happy new year :)

today was...BOXING DAY! dang, I should've stayed home. no sale was worth what I went through today..no sale on earth.

...

Ok ok, I'm being a drama queen but as a borderline claustrophobic I should've known to stay clear of the mall after 12:00pm!

anyway, to update...I got me a temporary job while I wait for the Big Day. for the last several weeks I've been working at a magazine distribution warehouse. The job is pretty easy and the pay is really good.

oh and thanks to the extra cash, I can afford to go on a mini-vacation! weeeeeeeeeee!

I'll be in Cuba from Jan 1-Jan 8 with a very good friend. I've always wanted to go to cuba, I just never had the time or resources to go through with it.

looking back now, it's so clear that school was holding me back from doing a lot of things! honestly now that I'm done with school, I feel like I can finally start life.

OK, I finally got around to uploading a few of the pictures I took in Somalia. they're under the 'link' section.

enjoy! I'm not much of a photographer but I tried :)